Royals’ shocking spring training roster cut may’ve saved Noah Cameron’s rotation spot

With Opening Day less than two weeks away, MLB teams are quickly working to narrow down who will break camp with them and optioning other names to the minors accordingly.

The Royals have made a series of more lesser-discussed and expected moves already, sending plenty of prospects to the minors who really had no shot to make the major league squad from the get-go, but were in camp for some valuable experience.

On Tuesday however, the Royals made their first real substantial batch of “big-time” roster moves, sending several former major league names to Triple-A Omaha.

While players like John Rave and Kameron Misner were more expected options and given his lack of experience, Mason Black seemed like he’d be more of a organizational depth option regardless of how good he looked in spring training (which is very good by the way), Ryan Bergert was a shock to see sent down this early.

Apart from a bit of blow-up in his last outing, which saw his ERA balloon to 6.52 and WHIP to 1.45, Bergert looked strong this spring and a definite contender for the Royals’ fifth and final spot in the rotation.

His option however, marks the last real competitor for that final rotation spot for Royals 2025 rookie sensation Noah Cameron. And now, despite his poor spring training, he appears to be the frontrunner to break camp in that role.

Ryan Bergert’s option to Triple-A Omaha may’ve paved the way for Noah Cameron to crack starting rotation

When I say Cameron has had a rough spring, it’s not an exaggeration. While other names have been worse, a 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .367 BAA and just a 13.2% K-rate is a far cry from the season he had last year where he finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Given how improbable that breakout seemed at the beginning of the year and the fact he still had remaining minor league options, it seemed as though a move to Triple-A was very much in the cards to get him looking right again.

This is where a fellow major league experienced arm in Bergert made plenty of sense in that fifth starter spot as well, following his strong 2025 season split between the Royals and the San Diego Padres.

However, with Bergert out of the mix, there doesn’t seem to be many other viable names to insert in the five-spot over Cameron.

Although Mason Black hasn’t allowed a run yet in spring training, his option alongside Bergert seemed inevitable from the beginning of spring given his major league struggles in recent years in limited runs with the San Francisco Giants.

Then there’s Kolek, who looked excellent with a revamped arsenal at the start of spring, but unfortunately has been sidelined for multiple weeks now with an oblique injury and will all but likely need more time to properly stretch out as a starter.

Bailey Falter hasn’t looked terrible this spring either, but after he was a last-minute scratch from his start this week, with manager Matt Quatraro opting to test his adaptability out of the bullpen on the fly according to a report from MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, it seems like a more hybrid role could be in store for him in 2026.

Then there’s Luinder Avila, who showed out with Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic out of the bullpen, but has a questionable past as a starter in Omaha and his future as either starter or reliever at the major league level still seems somewhat uncertain.

So, while he may not have gone out an outright won a rotation spot himself, it appears as though that may not matter in the end for Cameron.